Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-08-31
THE FIELD OF LABOR.
John SvintOn Presents q Careful Sur.
vey Of the Situation.

vey Of the Situation.
RECENT SIGNIFICANT STRIKE FAurREs-XR row.
pEKLY's NrLrENcR AND ArrrrrpE-rHx LABOR
Correspondence OF The EVENING STAR
NEW York. August 30.
The portentous changes which have been going
on In the labor movement" are not yet at an end,
as we see from recent events They bear upon II
as an organized body, as political agency and as
q regulator OF wages and conditions OF labor. In
all these respectsit has become evident that some
deep and wide spread influences are at work.
The number OF strikes that have collapsed since
the beginning OF this year Is far greater than that
for New York In his last Official report shows that
threeQuarters OF the strikes OF the previous year
IN this state were successful but 1t is fact that
the STATISTICS gathered by Bradstreet from Janu-
airy last TO the present time show that over three
fourths Of al the strikes OF the present year have
come 10 gnei. In TACT out OF three hundred thous-
ana strikers 80 far this year. not more than filty
be deserving OF the name OF success We nave 10
go back many years TO md anything that looks
like q precedent to this dismal state or things
Among the twelve or fourteen large strikes
OF this year a IL Is hard to mention any
the bricklayers OF Chicago. who not only secured
the eighthour rule for their trade but est abished
method OF settling future disputes with their
employers. And the bad luck continues up to this
day. The great strike In the cotton mills at
CohoeS has lust broken down simulr apeously
with the strike or the leather workers at Newark.
IL mas In short, been among the unluckiest OF
years for strikers, whether they were coke
makers and miners In Pennsylvania, shoemakcrs
In MASSACHUSETTS, or coal and freight handlers In
New Jersey and New York. IL is a common no
ton, which is probably correct that this bad luck
is largely attributable 10 the practice or COM
manufacturers or Massachusetts combined = inst
their wage-workeTS; the coAe and coal CORPORA
tons OF Pennsylvania did tho same thiag; so did
"a az N.skx arl-
lar practice has been adopted in scores OF other
cases. as every reader or the wspapers is aw are.
Inc combination OF the Chicago Master Builders
tailed In the stand they took and the combination
OF the stove manufacturers cannot OousJ OF nav
Ing scored victory; but these are merely exccp-
uOHal TO the rule. The weight OF The cun.ri.ei
capital In any given Industry has almost Away
proved too heavy for the labor and its service
LABoRs LOSSES DURING THE YEAR.
The influence OF these facts upon labor organ
izatioas during the present year have been calal.
itouS The largest OF ali great organizations-the
knights OF LaDor-have, within year. lost mucn
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, MASSACHUSETTS, ana
Connectlcut the falling OF has reached very nearly
two-tnirds and Ia some OF the western states the
ratto Is July as high. THESE statements based
either upon on, lil figures published by distlic
assemblies or upon The votes cast at tue recelt
elections Tor for, delegates 20 the general as;
be there represented Is nkciy 10 IL!
short OF half million, and though even this Is
piVOl tuaI tne Large DolE, IL Is
anything but fulaliment OF the promises OF last
year, wnen Mr.. fowderly boasteI OF twice the
strength, and when the hooJ-Jlde nad 10 ue
checked by the famous "lait." But far mpre Sc
rous than this alarming de- line are the III ker-
lneo Dy which The Organization mas been ucaioral-
ICED In many Quarters, noi oniy liz sucn Dlii > a,
Chicago, PiIli.dcl piIla Boston, and NcS York but
ia Lesser .laces iihe Hartford, Newark, De,lult,
biocAioi Denver, &c., rs Wei - out.y Ing locals
mere and Iurrc.
The Ranks are being weakened anc undermined
df-S,. n>l. N ma Al
upon the new c"nslltulivn upon Tie Trades l,alll-
uly Question: upon tue aCtlun "a tae executive
board, wElen L. but leeb.c, dIctatorial, upon tue
pay va officials, upon the Ild ,seiuent OI sIiheI
U. Ion The heavy taAes 1T II. iilnts and s..gui
disbursements Ia SPECIAL CASE, upon the na.J. 4
.. tur funds, UPON Tue numerous sUsi a.
the brethren Ia liIeir battles upon the lnac.ln q
tons OF the "home Cub. and u on sundry pe,u-
mar noiona often obtruLrd W A... Pow DERBY. lL.u
Lnt gdnizdLiOn Is Iurl.ler weakened Just noa by
the hustiic attitude toward the most powerful
traue unions Including lne Broinyrho,sl OF Car.
penlers, lie CisarmaAero IntcrnatlUnal Uulsn,
A.nals dlnatei Association or Sl,el all Iron
wofAcrA and the bo4les la The riy.l Federation ol
Labor. he recent election Of natloiIal de.e.atr-
In hall dozen OF The chieI cities OF the country
nave SHOWN the tIecio VI these dlsyeasiJns N
uic~erinss, 50 much 50 that there Is prospect ol
lac oVrr,hrow oi tue General board, t.Ie new con.
oiltutloD, aud the lee lsla,iOn OF last year at lac
Convention Nhich Will D. ncl a few weeks leLce.
THE MOST ASTOUNDING Sign
OF the changes In progress n.s jist been given by
the detection OF the notorious District Assembly
No. A, Oh New York, from It's allie glance u TIE
Posderiy administration This district, tie
ine.uuefolp or wuIca ms fallen Oh oyci oae-hAl al
since the iaSt Convention and Will has for years
Duen Mir. fowocrIy's main sup, ott, las e.eItei
Opposition delegates, dclhpned Iae home iuD,
aud airdck for Changes tn.dt Imply reversal of
tAe policy now pieIu.nlnalL a. headquarters. Ii
Is not easy Ior those VINO are outside VI TIE
iza,lon 10 comprehend the Iuli meaain< ui the
ie.red TO- UuL IL VIII De seen Al tn contention In
Octooer ueXt II Is posSio.e that Pow
ucriy may be able to hold on yet
.no.her year to the once which gives him a
a-..ary ten times greater than Is received 10y u
iuAjuri.y OF Tue Inenoers OF the knis ito LABOR
Uur even THIS mas iAte.y become doubtful hls re l.
ance II u. ION the lAet, that there ls other rca
popuiar caiui4ate Ia the held II Is yet Ia Ia,
power OF this remarkable organization OF TIE
knisnts OF Labor u recover the strength wiica Il
.oot, ana 10 put stop u The chickering's anu dis
SensionS by watch II has lately be, u distract ri:
UuL Lucoe enIs can be gained only by A iar.-
states.nansuip than Is now displayed by It's ulan.
ayers.
The 'lnbor organs" OF the country have beer
among the sufferers by the changes In the Labor
neiu AZ Tue otSlnLihg VI last year there Vert
Over 200 or tLe.n In lac United States; at the
pr.ssat Time their number Is less Than hundred
aud at least onehaiI Oh these arr Oh the verge y.
extinction.
LABOR PoL1rIcs
By far the most stIiAins oisn OF the changes OF
the times In the labor He'd is OF the political cast
In labor politics. all is now confusion at least in
this State OF New York. At this time a year ago
The forces OF labor were rally ing for puliti,a
action on their own account as taey never rallled
before, and the result ia New York, Chicago Mi.
waukee, and other places surpr ,eJ the country a,
the November elections kulsnI or Labor, Green.
hackers, rade UEioEisLs, Anii-Monopou,tS. Gran.
gers Laud Re,orluers, Socialists and what-nut,
julntd hands until, IL We add The voters OF Last
spring To those Of last November, couple or hun.
dred thousand OF them reached the ballot Loy.
The prepIratiO - for this unprecedented display
OF cohesion Lad beel going on for several years,
and mad received o powerful influence from the
mi AR lnn N A
lhS6. The eXullatiOn OF The new party over the
large vote that IL p0led was unb Jundt "a, and the
predictions OF the enthusiasts for the elections OF
year, were also unbounded. The politicians OF the
old parties were alarmed, the trnneiS began
10 cast their eyes toward the anxious
seat" but. since the beginning OF the
year, the cnunyes an labor ko,itics specially In
the STATE OF New York, have beea r. pii di, tract-
ing, and ominouS. There is war Ia the camp, a
war OF factions as bitter as ever WAS waged. We
have three labor parties In THIS State. We have
two sets OF candidates, with other sets yet to be
heard from. 1he union labor party. the George
land party and the socialist party are now at
each others throaIS The enraged belligerents ara
indulging in mutual defiance and In denunciation
that goes as far as ''pirAtes," ''cranks," ''boo-
diers," and SO On. The George party al its SYRIA
cuse convention, shut Its doors against the union
labOrerS cast out the socialist laborers and tol.
Grated only such united laOorerS as swore by the
theory Of land taxation. All these three parties,
which had but lately marched in one procession
array, as though they had never drunk out OF
the same canteen." And so the whole situa-
ton, as regards labor politics. has changed
from what 1t was last fall. The wrang-
In the city; It has broken out In the labor organ
tzatiOnS; IL has extended 10 the Central Labor
Union, in which the new party had its birth q
short year ago; 1t has play ed havoc with the
,.rttv I'm l1fn ~ yxh A, lad